


Unwelcome pain

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Periods, Post-Time Skip, alternate title: writer is projecting herself onto byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 18:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20296024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: “I’m in pain, Claude… I’ve been hurt more times than I can count, but injuries have never,everhurt as much as this does...”





	Unwelcome pain

**Author's Note:**

> HECK this fic was written PURELY for the sake of me projecting myself onto Byleth and wishing I had my own 'Claude von Riegan brand human body warmer' to ease my pain lmao-

“Claude! We’re wondering if you can help us out here – we’re meant to have our usual tutoring-slash-training with the Professor soon, but she is refusing to leave her room,” Hilda sighed, having traced down Claude to the ruined cathedral at Garreg Mach. “She keeps making all sorts of whining noises and is threatening to attack us with the Sword of the Creator when we say that we’ll drag her out!”

A small sigh escaped Claude’s lips. “Well, I can’t exactly blame her. She’s still trying to get over the fact that five years have passed for all of us, but just a few months for her. She was still mourning Jeralt when she disappeared too. She may just need space...” He then ran his hand over his stubble, and turned to face Hilda. “She’s in her room, right? How about you all give her some space, and I’ll try to coax her out when she’s had a chance to calm down. I’m sure you can all teach each other some skills for the time being, right?”

Soon enough, Hilda left Claude alone to tell the others to go off to train without the professor, leaving him pondering just what was the matter with his beloved Teach. Nothing felt quite right when he came up with theories, so he decided to figure it out the simple way – ask what was wrong with her.

He made his way out of the cathedral and easily found the professor’s room, seeming as it was the closest one to where he had been. He tapped his knuckles against the door, and heard a loud groan. “Hilda. Lorenz. _Please _just leave me be!”

“Hmm. Last time I checked, I’m not Lorenz, and definitely not Hilda. They’ve been sent off to train to give you some breathing room, Teach,” Claude muttered, leaning his back against her door. “Everything okay? I know… it’s probably tough finding out that over five years have passed, but-!”

Suddenly, her door flew open, and his arm was grabbed hold of. “I… don’t want to say out loud...” She grumbled, looking almost… ashamed? “I was always told to avoid talking about it when I travelled with my dad’s mercenary company… But I feel like I can tell you, but only in my room...”

Claude was confused, but he did as she wanted him to do, and went inside her room and closed the door behind him. She then sniffled, and pressed her head against his chest. “I’m in pain, Claude… I’ve been hurt more times than I can count, but injuries have never, _ever _hurt as much as this does...”

Unsure of what she was going on about, Claude simply wrapped arms around her and patted her back gently. “I… hope the pain goes away soon then,” he began, before coughing awkwardly. “But… _what _exactly is hurting? And why could you never talk about it when you were a mercenary?”

Byleth remained silent as she pulled away from him, and sat down on her bed. “Claude. Do you have a grasp of female anatomy, and what happens monthly?” She raised an eyebrow as all colour drained from his face. “Well, that is the ‘_delight’ _I am experiencing right now. I am bleeding, and it _hurts.”_She then lay back, holding her hands firmly against her lower abdomen. “As for when I was a mercenary… Imagine the situation – a group of about ten to fifteen mercenaries. All are male – except for one. All but one of the males would act disgusted when it was brought up. The other man – the father of the female – does his best to help her, but is not able to do much, especially when out in the wilds of Fódlan.”

Claude winced then, but at the same time, felt wholly sympathetic. She was like an outsider, even amongst the group she was raised and worked in. And all because of how her body worked…

Eventually, he sat down on her bed and gave her a concerned look. “Is there… anything I can help with then? I… don’t like knowing that you’re in pain and haven’t really been able to talk to anyone but me about it...”

Slowly, Byleth took hold of his hand and sighed. “I don’t know. Warmth helps, but I don’t know if there is even the resources in the monastery at the moment to create something warm to hold against it. And I am _not _using fire.”

_Something warm… something warm… _

With his lips pursed together, Claude began to think of _anything _which could be warm around Garreg Mach. However, she was right – resources were scarce, and there was nothing warm which could be used. Not unless he counted the body heat coming off everyone-

“I got an idea… Seeming as you’re lying down...” Claude then gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ve got some spare time. Want to ‘borrow’ some of my body heat? I’m not suggesting we do anything inappropriate, just maybe… I could rest my hands where it hurts? Or I could rest my head there and we could chat to distract you?”

A slight red flush covered Byleth’s face as she nodded. “That… would be nice. I’m so sorry for being a bother, Claude...”

He then lay back, and realised that she must have been tensing her body up as she was only able to relax when his head was there. “Don’t be silly, we’ve all got to help each other out here, especially if it’s something as unavoidable as _the cursed female anatomy_.”

Byleth let out an awful sounding snort as she tried to hold back a laugh, before she eventually just resigned herself to the fact that Claude’s witty way of speaking was great at calming her down and alleviating the mood.

“Thank you...”

“Any time, Byleth. Maybe I should mark it down on my calendar so I know when you will need my services again-”

“… Shush.”

Soon enough, the pain in Byleth’s lower abdomen subsided, and she decided that it was time for her to start moving and being productive, rather than lying on her bed, using Claude as a human body warmer all day.

As soon as she tried to sit up, she realised that Claude had fallen asleep. He had gotten himself comfortable, and had drifted off into a deep slumber.

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll stay lying down for a little while longer then…”


End file.
